Just a little push
by closet-hopeless-romantic
Summary: Mattie turns her hand to matchmaking.....
1. Chapter 1

I'm back! Sorry its been a while, my computer had to visit the doctors and then I became an auntie for the first time and my life has been rather busy (involving lots of baby cloth shopping naturally!!)

For those of you waiting on my 'in progress' stories, I will get back to them I promise – I'm sorry I've deserted them for so long.

This is a bit of a drabble, the idea for which sounded better in my head than it has come out on paper, but I hope you all find it at least mildly entertaining.

* * *

Harm walked into Headquarters, a small smile gracing his handsome features. Life was good. He had custody of Mattie, work was going well and he and Mac were talking again….well kind of anyway. They were slowly getting back on track. He still hadn't forgotten how Mac had helped him with Mattie's case. Maybe there was some hope for them after all. He flashed Harriet what Mac referred to as his Flyboy smile as he passed her in the bullpen and carried on through to his office. As he settled down at his desk and logged into his computer, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. He looked up to see Jennifer Coates standing in the doorway.

"Morning sir." She said with a smile.

"Good morning Petty Officer," he replied, smiling at his charge's roommate. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to remind you that Mattie and I are going to the movies this evening." Jen replied, moving to turn and leave, "oh an staff call in ten minutes sir." Harm smiled at her gratefully; he had forgotten that staff call was going to be early today.

"Thank you Petty Officer." He said, "Is Colonel Mackenzie in yet?" he winced slightly as he received a slightly knowing grin from the young woman. _Damn, _he thought, it was obvious that Mattie had already discussede her views on his and Mac's relationship with her new roommate. _I should get Mac to introduce her to Chloe, _he thought with a wry smile, _they could plan our lives to their hearts content!_

"no sir, not yet." Jen's voice pulled him briefly from his reverie as she looked at him, eyes dancing with amusement at his inattentiveness.

* * *

As the Petty Officer left him, his thoughts drifted back to his charge and the conversation they had been having the previous evening. She was one perceptive kid. He couldn't believe that she had asked him that thought. Was he in love with Mac?! She had only known them for two minutes; was he really that transparent?! He sighed heavily. His and Mac's relationship was so up in the air right now. She had gone from 'things will never work out between us' to telling a court room full of people he was 'exactly the kind of man she would want as a father for her children' (a statement that had sent his memory racing back almost 5 years to their baby deal; and from the look on her face had done the same for her) in the space of a few months. Mattie had been convinced that this meant that Mac loved him too, and she had been unperturbed the previous evening when he had pointed out that Mac was still with Webb.

"That doesn't mean anything Harm!" she had said, "you can tell by the way she looks at you."

"Nonsense." He had replied, "She's made herself perfectly clear. She can't stop flaunting the fact that she's with Webb." To his utter surprise, Mattie had just laughed at him.

"She's trying to make you jealous silly." She had exclaimed, her amused expression suggesting she had been wondering how she had got stuck with such a dummy as a guardian. "she's trying to find out how you feel about her."

"She knows how I feel about her." He had replied, feeling rather uncomfortable about the thread this conversation was following.

"Have you ever told her?" Mattie had pressed.

"She knows how I feel" he had repeated weakly, knowing that he had always been too scared to tell her exactly how much he loved her. Mattie had rolled her eyes at him.

"Women aren't mind readers Harm! Sometimes we need to be told these things!"

At this point he had started laughing at the absurdity of the conversation; a fifteen year old girl was standing in front of him trying to advise him about his love life.

"The thing between Mac and I is complicated." He had finally replied, "Like I told you before, we'll always find our way back to the way we were so don't you worry."

Mattie hadn't pressed him anymore, and had gone back to the apartment she shares with Jen shortly after.

Once again his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He looked up to see Mac leaning casually against the doorframe.

"Hey sailor" she said with the slightly uncertain smile that was a constant feature of their current friendship. "You're going to be late for staff call."

"I was just coming!" he replied with a grin as he got to his feet and followed her and Sturgis into the conference room.

* * *

During staff call Petty Officer Coates spent a large amount of time observing the Commander and the Colonel out of the corner of her eye. Mattie had told her of her plan the previous evening, and she was completely supportive of the teenager's idea. Since she had been transferred to JAG Headquarters, Jen had noticed that at least 90 of the office scuttlebutt involved two of the people she respected the most: the two who had taken the time to help her and ultimately stop her from returning to her previous lifestyle.

Although Mattie hadn't told her the reason behind her plan, Jen suspected that she had finally been able to wheedle some useful information out of her guardian which had accelerated her need to act. Jen had to admit it was a good plan, if slightly contrived and soppy in the way that most teenaged girls' ideas about love were. At first she hadn't been sure it would work, but after Mattie had explained her observations about the pair, she had to admit it might work, or at least give them the kick they quite clearly needed. It was very simple. Among other thoughts, Mattie had explained how she had noticed something amusing about the dynamic between the pair; whenever they were in a car together, more specifically in Harm's car, Mac always took control of the radio. And Harm always let her with out commenting. It was this simple fact that Mattie's entire plan was based on. Jen wasn't completely convinced it would work as Mattie hoped, but thought it might do something. _If it didn't, _Jen thought sardonically, _I'm sure Lt Sims would be keen to help us come up with some ideas. _She was pulled out of her thoughts by the scraping of chairs beside her, and she looked up quickly to see staff call was over and the two objects of her observations were following the others out of the door bickering loudly about who would get to drive_. Excellent,_ Jen thought with a grin. _They've been sent on that Norfolk assignment that was put on the Admiral's desk late last night. Mattie's plan might be taking effect sooner than she thought._

* * *

Harm followed Mac out to his car. He had won her over by complaining that his back was sore. She had immediately agreed that he could drive since she only had her 'Vette. As they headed out of the JAG car park Mac, jus as Mattie had predicted, started fiddling with the radio, trying to find a song that she liked, sighing heavily each time she came to a station that was playing a song she didn't want to listen to. Harm kept glancing over at her, amused beyond belief.

"There are some CDs in the glove compartment if that helps." He said mildly, "they are mostly Mattie's but you might find something you like." She shot him a withering glare, but reached in front of her all the same to open the glove compartment and look inside. She grabbed the one on top and inspected the back cover.

"The Fratellis." she read, "Are they any good?" Harm shrugged.

"Mattie loves them. They're some British band." Mac smiled,

"Well lets see what they're like." She decided, reaching over and pressing the eject button on the CD player. A CD slid out, and Mac picked up, pausing when she saw that it was a blank CD with 4 words written on it in block letters.

"LISTEN TO THE LYRICS." She read out, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Harm? What's this?" she asked. He glanced over at the CD in her hands.

"I don't know. I've never seen it before. That's Mattie's writing on the front. Must be another thing of hers. Shall we see what it is?"

Mac nodded and slipped the CD back into the CD player.

As the first lines were being played, Harm groaned softly to himself. Mattie was obviously trying to match make the two of them. She had played this song often enough, and he had noted that the words really did remind him of Mac. He considered reaching over and taking the CD out, but something inside him wondered what would come of Mattie's little scheme.

**I'm not gonna patronize you,**

**By trying to write down why I like you.**

**It doesn't make it any better,**

**To just steal kind words off Phil Spector.**

**And I know all these tired clichés,**

**But I don't know which cliché to say.**

**Because clichés don't have any impact,**

**So I guess I will be matter-of-fact.**

**'Cause...It's so good to know you,**

**That I just don't know how to show you.**

Harm risked a glance over at Mac who had barely moved since the beginning of the song. She was sitting there, confusion marring her pretty face as she listened to the lyrics. He started to sing along softly under his breath.

At the sound of his voice, Mac jerked slightly, looking over at him. _Listen to the lyrics? _She wondered, still pondering the cryptic message on the CD cover._ Was Mattie trying to tell them something? _She listened to the words as Harm sang softly along with the lead singer.

"**I love you, you know that,**

**Don't you?**

**I love you.**

**I'm so sorry that I'm losing,**

**When other boys would leave you swooning.**

**When I finally get my words together,**

**I choke and they are gone forever." **

At this she looked over at her driving companion, only to find him staring at her as they paused at traffic lights. The expression in his eyes made her flinch. It had been a long time since she had seen that kind of intensity in his eyes; all that time ago on the Admiral's porch. What had he said that day? "You'll always have someone who loves you." Did he mean himself? She tore her glance away from his, looking down at her hands.

**But words are words and they mean nothing,**

**Surely 'I love you' counts for something!**

**So let's be hasty, and let's be reckless,**

**Just being with you leaves me breathless.**

**'Cause...It's so good to know you,**

**That I just don't know how to show you.**

**I love you, you know that,**

**Don't you?**

**I love you.**

Her reverie was interrupted by her phone ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw it was Clay. Hesitantly she answered the call.

"Hi" she said softly, still intensely aware that Harm was still singing along to the song quietly in the background.

"I'm just on my way to Norfolk with Harm to investigate a case. I'm not sure if I'll be back in time for dinner tonight." She said, wishing she could have this conversation away from Harm's ears: it was the third time in as many days she had cancelled dinner with Clay for one reason or other and he was starting to get a bit impatient with her. She paused as she listened to his irritated reply.

**I love you, you know that,**

**Don't you?**

**I love you.**

"I'm sorry." She replied,

**It's so good to know you,**

**I just don't know how to show you.**

**I love you, you know that,**

**Don't you?**

**I love you**.

As she listened to Clay's annoyed ramblings, she became aware that the song had finished and Harm was still humming it softly under his breath. Was he trying to tell her something? Suddenly something inside her snapped; she had had enough. She cut across Clay's diatribe,

"I'm sorry Clay, but I've got to go. I'll give you a call when I'm back from Norfolk." She said, wincing slightly at the lack of emotion that was evident in her voice. It sounded more like she was talking to a client than the man she had been dating for more than 6 months. She hung up quickly and was aware of Harm's concerned gaze glancing over at her at regular intervals. _I wonder if those lyrics really were meant for me. S_he thought wistfully, not overly optimistic; she knew that it would be up to her to repair the rift that she had created between them in Paraguay. She missed her best friend. Even though they were slowly getting back to the way they were, there was a part of him that now seemed to be completely closed off to her; the part that she wanted access to the most; the part of him that he had all but offered to her on a plate and she had thrown back in his face out of fear and exhaustion. She decided to test the waters a bit.

"That was a nice song." She said softly, hearing Harm breath a quiet sigh of relief when she spoke. "Interesting lyrics." She added glancing over at him with a shy smile, relying once again on the type of cryptic comments that had been entwined in their relationship for as long as they had known each other; the kind of comment remained forever etched in each of their memories, both wondering what the other had meant by it. That was all she wanted to do right now; keep him wondering, keep him interested, hoping that the door she had closed might slowly be reopening. She was relieved to see his eyes crinkle as he smiled at her genuinely,

"Yeah." He replied, his voice coming out slightly huskier than he had intended. "very interesting." They stared at each other for a second, before Harm noticed the lights change and turned his attention back to the road.

* * *

Loved it? Hated it? Let me know! All kinds of feedback welcomed! I'll be posting a final chapter just as soon as its written – please bear with me, I'll be as fast as I can, but I can't promise super speediness.

Thanks for reading :o)


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for putting up with the wait. I've been really busy at work and stuff, plus I'd been looking forward to seeing the final episode of JAG on FX (in the UK) as I thought that might help me with my unfinished stories, but they really unhelpfully they changed the time is was broadcast to after I get home from work…. (bastards!!!) If anyone has any suggestions on how I could get hold of that last episode I would be eternally gratefull…ive been waiting for ages to see it!

Anyways, on with the chapter! Hope u like it. And thank you to all my lovely reviewers :o)

* * *

For the next couple of hours, Mac forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand; namely interviewing the Lieutenant charged with manslaughter. She couldn't help it though. As she listened to Harm asking the Lieutenant questions, her mind drifted to the car journey. Maybe she was over reacting, reading too much into things. It was just the lyrics of the song that were driving her crazy – They articulated the words that she had always longed to hear from Harm, and had always feared telling him. _I must be reading too much into it. _She told herself, _That label was probably the name of the song. He was just singing along because he knew the words. God I love listening to him sing. Whenever he answers the door with his guitar in his hands it makes me swoon to think I might hear him play. God what is wrong with me?!_ She wondered, _I'm dating another man, and hear I am daydreaming about someone I told to get lost not so long ago. _Mac sighed softly, causing both Harm and their client to glance over at her in surprise. The worry in Harm's eyes was not lost on Mac, and she offered him a small smile, before turning her attention back to the notes in front of her.

_Get a grip Mackenzie. _She berated herself.

* * *

Once they had left their client and were heading back to the car, Harm finally let his mind start to wander. Glancing down at his companion, he wasn't surprised to see her deep in thought, a million miles away. Hope surged inside him. _Had she got the significance of the song that Mattie had left? _He wondered. _Or was she upset about her fight with Webb?_

He didn't sound to happy by the sounds of it, he didn't seem to take too kindly to being cancelled on. She was obviously not concentrating on the case during our interviews, I wonder what has got her so distracted. I really miss her. He started humming softly under his breath, the same song as before, to see if it would get a reaction out of the still silent Marine sitting next to him.

**I love you,**

**You know that, don't you?**

A couple of seconds later, he was rewarded with a glance and a small smile.

"Who's that song by?" she asked quietly,

"Some British band that Mattie loves." Harm replied, "I think they are called the Ordinary Boys." Mac smiled and reached into the glove compartment to pick out the other CDs. "She really likes her British pop music doesn't she?!" she continued with a small chuckle as she looked the piles of CDs.

"At the moment I think that's all she listens to." Harm admitted ruefully. "Still, they aren't all bad. If her Snow Patrol CD is in there, stick that in, it's great!" Mac raised an eyebrow in surprise, a smirk playing across her features.

"What's this?!" she asked teasingly, "Harmon Rabb admitting to liking a pop band?!"

"They're not pop Mac!" he replied with a jokingly wounded grin, "they're more like soft rock!" Mac rolled her eyes at him as she located the CD in the pile.

"Well lets find out shall we?!" She slipped the CD in and pressed play. Mac vaguely recognised the opening chords; she must have heard it on the radio at some point.

**The perfect words never crossed my mind**

**'Cause there was nothing in there but you**

**I felt every ounce of me, screaming out**

**But the sound was trapped deep in me**

**All I wanted, just sped right past me**

**But I was rooted fast to the earth**

**I could be stuck here for a thousand years**

**Without your arms to drag me out**

**There you are, standing right in front of me **

**All this fear falls away, you leave me naked**

**Hold me close, cause I need you to guide me to safety**

**No, I don't wanna wait forever **

**No, I don't wanna wait forever**

**In the confusion, and the aftermath**

**You are my signal fire**

**The only resolution and the only joy**

**Is the faint spark of forgiveness in your eyes**

They sat quietly as they drove, listening to the lyrics of the song. _This one would have been better Mattie, _Harm thought wryly, _before Paraguay at least. She's always been the one to keep me together, she's my rock. _He sighed almost imperceptibly as the memories of Paraguay came flooding back.

**There you are, standing right in front of me **

**All this fear falls away, you leave me naked**

**Hold me close, cause I need you to guide me to safety**

**There you are, standing right in front of me **

**All this fear falls away, you leave me naked**

**Hold me close, cause I need you to guide me to safety**

**No, I don't wanna wait forever**

**No, I don't wanna wait forever**

**No, I don't wanna wait forever **

Unbeknownst to Harm, Mac was also struggling with a Paraguayan flashback of her own: the relief that she had felt when he had come charging through the door, the regret she had felt when their almost kiss was interrupted, and the pain she had felt when she had uttered that word. She hadn't really meant it, regretting the words the instant that they were out of her mouth. Although that Harm hadn't fought her on it hurt her almost as much as saying them. Deep down she knew that Harm was too much of gentleman to push something that he thought she didn't want, but still! She felt tears rise up in her eyes at the lyrics to the song, and blinked them away in disgust. They were beautiful words, and summed up so much about how she really felt about the Navy Commander who was once again singing softly under his breath as he drove along.

"Do you fancy having dinner with me?" the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Suddenly she was anxious to put things right between them, hoping that maybe this time he was on the same page. Harm blinked at her in surprise, "I mean a working dinner." She added hastily, incorrectly interpreting his silence. "We can discuss the case, then maybe watch a movie?" To her utter relief, his face relaxed into a smile and he nodded.

"Sure, that would be good. Do you want to me to get Chinese on my way over to yours?"

Mac thought for a second, trying to get control of her thoughts, which had been sent haywire by the adrenaline that had been coursing round her body as she invited him to dinner.

"How about Thai?" she countered hopefully. Harm let out a low chuckle.

"Sure." He replied as he eased his car into the parking space next to hers in the HQ car park. "I'll be over at about 8?" Mac offered him a genuine, if unsure smile.

"Great. I'll see you then." She hopped out the car, and gave him a brief wave.

* * *

Truth be told, Harm was a little nervous when he knocked on Mac's door, juggling a bag of Thai food, a couple of DVDs and the case files. It had been a long time since they had had one of these working dinners. That fact, and the hint of promise that had sparked in their conversation following Mattie's harebrained little matchmaking scheme, made him feel like a nervous, quivering wreck inside. He truly had no idea what to expect. Mac was still with Webb after all. Even if she had understood Mattie's hint in the song lyrics, it wasn't like she was going to jump on him there and then, even if she did, as Mattie so strongly believed, feel the same for him as he did for her.

"Hi Harm," Mac said with a genuine smile as she opened the door, reaching out to grab some of the case files which were slipping from his arms. She grinned again as she took in the size of the bag he was carrying. "uh Harm, you do realise its just the two of us eating right?! That bag looks like it could feed the whole of Norfolk!" Harm laughed, his eyes sparkling wickedly as he replied,

"What?! With your appetite?!" he said with mock incredulity, jumping back to avoid the lazy swat that Mac sent his way.

"Watch is Sailor, or I'll hold your veggie-riddled rabbit food hostage!" she replied as she turned around and walked back towards the sofa, knowing Harm would follow her in.

About an hour later Mac was picking lazily at the leftovers of Harm's shrimp pad thai as they discussed the case. Their client maintained that he was innocent, but there was so much evidence that it was going to be a tough case to try.

"Something doesn't add up Harm." Mac was saying. Something about the case didn't make sense to her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. "My gut still tells me that the kid is telling the tru…" she stopped as a knock sounded at the door. Feeling slightly confused, she hopped to her feet wondering who could be calling this late. "the truth," she continued heading to the door, "he just doesn't seem the…" she trailed off at the sight of Clayton Webb standing in her doorway, anger unmistakeable in his eyes.

"You cancelled on me for him?" he asked without saying hello, brushing past her angrily.

"Hello to you too Clay" Mac replied coolly, following him into the sitting room, where she stood, arms crossed across her chest. Oh boy, _Webb's in trouble!_ Harm thought to himself, _I'll enjoy this_.

"Harm and I are working on a case Clay." Mac replied, "How dare you barge in here like this? Come to think of it, why are you here?"

"I was in the area, I thought I'd pop by and see if you were in." Clay replied defensively, "Sorry to interrupt your cosy night in. Didn't realise you were juggling us both Sarah" he added with a look of contempt at Harm.

"We.." he started, getting ready to tell the arrogant CIA agent where he could shove it, before he was interrupted by Mac,

"Go to hell Clay!" she told him angrily, "How dare you come in here and suggest something like that. Harm and I have been friends for longer than you have been trying to get us killed with your badly planned missions, we are working on a case together, how dare you suggest anything otherwise."

"Honestly Sarah, how can you be so blind," Web shot back, in a tone equal to hers, "He has always been in love with you," Harm shifted uncomfortably at that, a movement that did not go unnoticed by his partner. "I bet he's just been waiting for his chance to get back in your favour." Harm risked a glance at Mac. He could practically see the anger radiating off her in waves. She was going to give him hell, he could see it in her eyes, and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

"That is it." Mac said, shooting an apologetic glance in Harm's direction. "I think its time you left Clay. You have no right to be here right now." She put a hand on his arm, and pulled him by the arm to the front door. "Please don't call me again," Harm heard her say, "Not now, and not ever."

"But Sarah…."

"No Clay, things haven't been working for a while, you've just helped me to see why. Goodbye."

There was the sound of a door slamming, and a couple of moments later Mac reappeared in the doorway, trying to surreptitiously wipe a couple of tears out of her eyes.

"Mac?" Harm said softly, getting up and walking over to her. "Are you ok?" Her eyes met his, and he forced a smile onto his face. "I'm sorry." He offered nervously, not really sure what to say. Webb's appearance and accusations had once again rocked the already unsteady boat of their relationship and he had to admit, he didn't have a clue what to do or how to act. Mac managed a smile,

"Don't be." She replied, "It's not your fault Harm, Clay and I weren't…well it….it just wasn't working out."

"Are you going to be ok? Is there anything I can do?" Mac took a deep breath and smiled shyly at him, "a hug would be nice?" Harm was floored. Mac wasn't good at letting her guard down. It was a trait that she shared with Harm. He managed a goofy grin.

"I can manage that." He took another step forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head against his shoulder. Mac instinctively placed her arms around his back, relishing in the comfort and warmth of his embrace.

They stayed like that for a few moments, until Mac pulled away, an embarrassed smile on her face.

"Sorry about that." She murmured softly, heading over to the table and starting to pile up the takeout boxes to take them into the kitchen.

"Anytime." Harm replied softly, following her over and picking up the remaining boxes. "And Mac?" she paused from her position in the kitchen doorway. "For what its worth, he's an idiot." A hint of a smile flashed across her face.

"Thanks Harm." She replied, "I'm sorry he said all of that about you. He had no right." Harm grinned nervously,

"Don't worry about it. Are you sure you're ok?" The look of concern in his eyes made the butterflies in her stomach start dancing like crazy as she remembered why she had fallen in love with her partner in the first place. She smiled.

"I'm fine Harm." She replied honestly. ""but do you mind if we start again tomorrow. I'm feeling kind of tired." A flash of understanding appeared on his face.

"Sure thing." He offered her a smile,

"Why don't we try another working dinner at my place tomorrow evening? I know Mattie would love to see you? She could join us for dinner and then leave us to work?"

"Sure, that would be nice."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he opened the front door. He paused and turned to look at her, "and Mac? If you want to talk? I'm here." An uncertain smile flashed across her face and she nodded her silent understanding.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! All feedback, whether good or bad makes my day!!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Here we go, next chappie! I've realised I've forgotten a few things – the first song from the first chapter is 'I love you' by the Ordinary Boys, the song in the second is 'Signal Fire' by Snow Patrol and the one in this chappie is 'I'll Stand by you' by the Pretenders.

Thanks for reviewing guys, it really makes my day, and I really appreciate you all taking the time to let me know what you think :o)

Enjoy!

* * *

Mac woke up to the sounds of her phone chirping. Groaning softly under her breath, she rolled over and reached blindly towards her bedside table, her **_fingers_** searching for the offending item. Glancing at the screen, she saw she had a couple of missed calls and a voicemail message. The calls, she noted, were from Clay, and with some trepidation she dialled her voicemail as she rolled back over, unwilling to get out of bed that early on a Saturday when she had absolutely nothing to do. The irritatingly mechanical female voice told her she had 2 new messages which made her curse under her breath, they both had to be from Clay; what in the world could he want?! She had made herself pretty clear the night before, and he had been an absolute idiot.  
"**_Sarah, its Clay,"_** Good he sounded nervous. "**_I just wanted to apologise for last night, I was a jack ass. Forgive me? We were good together." _**She snorted and rolled her eyes. _Jackass is right, _she thought annoyed by his weak apology. She still couldn't believe he had stormed in and accused her of having an affair with Harm. The nerve of him! After all that they had been through. In a way though, she was relieved. Although she cared for Clay and enjoyed his company, there was no real spark between them and she had come to realise that she didn't necessarily see her future with him in it as anything else but a friend. And after last night, she wasn't even sure if she wanted him in her life as that! She deleted the message in annoyance and waited for the second one to come over the line.  
"_**Hi Mac, its Harm." **_She felt her stomach flutter slightly as Harm's warm voice came over the speaker. _**"Just calling to see how you were doing, and to make sure we're still on for dinner tonight? Anyway let me know ninja girl, enjoy your Saturday!" **_Mac couldn't help but smile at his unconscious use of her nickname. He hadn't called her that for a long time. Still smiling, she dialled his number and waited for him to pick up.

"Rabb." Harm's sleep-ridden voice came over the phone. The butterflies in her stomach returned; a sleepy-sounding Harm was a sexy-sounding Harm, however much she tried to deny her feelings.

"Hi Harm, its me." She said shyly,

"Morning Mac." He replied with a grin, "How you doing?"

"I'm fine, just returning your call. I didn't mean to wake you!" Mac replied, embarrassed. She could hear a small trace of amusement in his still sleepy voice as he replied,

"No problem Marine, I don't mind being woken up by you." Mac was suddenly hugely glad that he was on the other end of the phone and so couldn't see her face, which she was sure was tomato red at the thoughts that had raced through her mind at his words.

"So I just wanted to confirm tonight? What time shall I come over? Do you want me to bring anything? Maybe dessert?" There was a low, slightly flirtatious, chuckle.

"No just yourself is fine. See you at 7?"

"See you then" Mac replied, hanging up the phone and rolling over to bury her face in her pillow, wondering if she had imagined the flirty tone in his voice. It had been so long since she had heard that particular tone of voice aimed at her, that for a moment or two she was near convinced that she had imagined it. She hated reflecting on the last couple of years; hated what she had done to their friendship, what she had done to them. What hurt the most was that she couldn't come up with a single good reason why she had acted the way she had. _Still, _she reminded herself with a sigh, _it looks like things are getting back on track now. And we possibly have a matchmaking teen on our hands….. _Mac was still confused about the whole song lyrics thing. They hadn't made any more reference to it other that the agreement that they were 'interesting' lyrics. By singing along, was he trying to tell her something?! _It was just too confusing, _she decided, _and to think, Harm was the one that wanted operating instructions for me in Paraguay. I have to say I wouldn't mind them for him sometimes! _Sighing quietly to herself, she dragged herself out of bed, and got ready to go for usual Saturday morning run.

* * *

Before Mac had a chance to knock at the door to Harm's apartment, Mattie came bounding down the corridor from the apartment she shared with Jen, dragging the aforementioned Petty Officer behind her. 

"Hi Mac!" she called excitedly as they approached her.

"Hi Mattie, Jen! How are you doing?" Mac replied, exchanging a brief smile with Jen at Mattie's exuberance.

"Fine thanks Ma'am/Mac" came the response, as Mattie squeezed past Mac and opened the door to Harm's apartment, which had been open the entire time.

As she followed the two girls in, she replied in a mock stern tone of voice, "Jen, we're off duty, please call me Mac!" Jen blushed a bit, but nodded her agreement,

"Sorry, force of habit!" she replied with a slight grin.

Harm was standing in the kitchen area when the girls came in, and he looked up, smiling warmly when they all came in; happy to see them all laughing together. His gaze met Mac's and he couldn't help flashing his flyboy grin at her.

"I hope you've brought that Marine appetite with you Jarhead, we've got a lot of food to get through!" he said by way of greeting. _There is was again, _Mac thought, _that use of old nicknames. I don't even think he realises he is doing it. Well two can play that game!_

"I'll see what I can do! It smells great. Guess we're not having the meatless meatloaf then Flyboy?!" she replied teasingly. At her words, an expression that Mac hadn't seen for a long time appeared on his face for an instant. It was a slightly awed expression, similar to the one that had appeared on his face a long time ago when they had made their baby deal.

"You wound me Mac!" He replied with a grin, the expression disappearing off his face almost as quickly as it had arrived. "For that, you can chop up the salad!" Mac rolled her eyes,

"And here I was hoping I'd get to have a gossip with Mattie and Jen!"

"Nope! You get to stay in here with me!" Harm replied with an endearingly hopeful grin. Mac glanced at the other two girls, only to find them whispering and giggling to each other.

"Fine! I guess I can help you flyboy." She sighed loudly, "I guess we'll never find out what boy it is that Mattie and Jen are whispering about!" At that, Harm's gaze whipped across to the two girls who were curled up on the couch, still whispering to each other like they had been before. "B..bb.. boy???" Harm said, a nervous look on his face. "Mattie's not interested in…." he trailed off for a second before turning his attention back to her. "Right Mac, you have to go join them, and convince Mattie she's too young to be interested in boys!" Mac couldn't help the giggle that spurted out of her at the earnest and determined look on his face.

"I was kidding Flyboy!" she teased, "I don't think they are whispering about boys!" Harm didn't look convinced.

"No, go and join them anyway Mac, its my turn to cook dinner! You go and relax!" Still smirking slightly, Mac acquiesced and joined Mattie and Jen on the sofa. Leaning over, she told them about their earlier conversation and all three collapsed into giggles, glancing over at Harm, who, as Mac had imagined, was still watching them suspiciously.

"Stop laughing at me!" he jokingly pouted, "Or it will meatless meatloaf all round!"

"Shall I put some music on? Mattie said after a couple of seconds. Jen was quick to agree. Suspiciously quick it appeared to Mac, but she couldn't imagine why.

"Sure Matts." Harm replied, "Make it something good though will you?!" Exchanging an amused look with Jen, Mattie hopped off the sofa, and after a few minutes of looking through Harm's CD collection, which contained all of the CDs from his car that she had rescued earlier, she chose one with an impish grin, put it in and pressed play. She quickly returned to her seat, which gave her a clear view of the two adults' faces. She glanced at Mac as the first notes came over the speakers. _Well I guess they listened to it. _She thought to herself as Mac visibly stiffened, glancing quickly over at Harm with a slight blush colouring her cheeks. A quick glance at her guardian told her that he knew what she was up to. But there was something else, she noticed, he didn't look mad, in fact he was studying Mac's reaction, hope radiating in his eyes.

**I love you, **

**You know that, don't you.**

Mac glanced up again at the lyrics and met Harm's eyes nervously. A small smile flickered across her face as she realised that it had been Mattie who had organised that CD to be in the car, along with the note on the front of it. She noted the relief on Harm's face as she met his eyes again, and struck with a sudden burst of courage, hopped to her feet and headed back over to the kitchen, picking up the knife from where he had left it and calmly started chopping the cucumber which was sat on the chopping board, acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do. It gave an eerily realistic picture of comfortable family domesticity. Harm couldn't stop a small smile from playing across his lips at her action. They obviously understood each other better when they didn't speak; he realised that Mac had now understood what Mattie had been up to, and to his utter surprise, she didn't seem upset by it. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that maybe she felt the same way as him. The song ended almost as quickly as it had begun, the CD moving on to a more familiar, older song. Harm was the first to speak, cocking his eyebrow in undisguised amusement.

"Rod Stewart, Mattie? Isn't he a bit old for your tastes?!"

"Nah, Rod Stewart's great. He is a bit crusty I suppose. My mum used to listen to his music all the time. I just grew up with it I guess. Still his music's pretty good don't you think? Like that one you were playing the other night, that's one of his isn't it?" Harm gave a small chuckle,

"Actually it was originally done by the Pretenders I think. But yeah, he's done a version of it." Mac grinned teasingly at him.

"Have you been showing off your guitar skills Harm? How about a performance tonight?!" Harm blushed,

"I thought we were supposed to be working on the case?! Mattie and Jen have a huge selection of chick flicks that they are waiting to get through, they don't want to hear me play!"

"Sure we do!...sir!" Jen chimed in helpfully, exchanging an amused look with Mac and Mattie.

"Pleeeeeaaassse! Mattie all but whined at her, looking hopefully at her guardian, "You did that song so well….!" Harm groaned, it was obvious Mattie wasn't going to let him get away with not playing. _Besides, _a nagging voice inside of his head told him, _if you sing the song she's talking about, it might open things up for you and Mac…… _

"Fine! Just one song though, otherwise dinner will be ruined and Mac and I really have to work on the case tonight." Harm agreed with a reluctant grin. He glanced down at the Marine standing next to him who, to his surprise, was studying him with an expression he hadn't seen before on her face; something akin to reluctant hope and wonder. "That ok with you Mac?" She jumped slightly, pulled out of her reverie by his words.

"sure, it's been ages since I heard you play." She agreed, heading over to join Mattie and Jen on the sofa. _And whose fault is that?! _she thought sadly, _If it hadn't been for Paraguay and Singer's murder….. _She shook her head, trying to shake the thought of her head; the same thought that had been nagging her for the past year. For a while she had blamed Harm for the rift between them. He was the one who had wanted to 'table' their discussion…. Again. But she had been the one to jump straight into the arms of another man…. Again. She still didn't understand how they had let their miscommunication reach the level that it had, but she still was clinging on to her hope that it wasn't too late for them. She had spent all day wondering about Clay's words the night before. _"He's always been in love with you." _She wasn't blind; she had seen the expression on Harm's face at those words. It had been such a shell shocked expression, that it had fuelled her hope that they were true.

"Mac?" She felt Mattie touch her arm, and forced herself to zone back into the conversation, hoping that her face wouldn't give away what her mind had been occupied by.

"Sorry Mattie, I was miles away. What were you saying?" she replied.

"I said, are you sure you don't want to ditch Harm and come and join our girlie night after dinner?!" Mattie replied with a knowing smile. Mac laughed,

"I wish I could Matts, but I afraid Harm and I really do need to work on this case." _Amongst other things…_ Mac thought to herself. Just as she was about to wander once again down the complicated path of her thoughts about her handsome partner, said handsome partner started to play, and she was pulled away, captivated by the soft sound of his guitar.

**Oh, why you look so sad?  
****Tears are in your eyes  
****Come on and come to me now  
****Don't be ashamed to cry  
****Let me see you through  
****Cause I've seen the dark side too**

**When the night falls on you  
****You don't know what to do  
****Nothing you confess  
****Could make me love you less**

**I'll stand by you  
****I'll stand by you  
****Won't let nobody hurt you  
****I'll stand by you**

**So if you're mad, get mad  
****Don't hold it all inside  
****Come on and talk to me now  
****Hey, what you got to hide?  
****I get angry too  
****Well I'm a lot like you**

Mac sensed his gaze on her, and forced herself to look up, meeting his intense blue eyes with her own nervous caramel-coloured ones. Beside her, Mattie and Jen were watching them, their eyes flicking from one to the other as if watching a tennis match.

**When you're standing at the crossroads  
****And don't know which path to choose  
****Let me come along  
****Cause even if you're wrong**

**I'll stand by you  
****I'll stand by you  
****Won't let nobody hurt you  
****I'll stand by you**

**Take me in, into your darkest hour  
****And I'll never desert you  
****I'll stand by you**

Harm offered her a nervously hopeful smile and she felt her insides turn to mush. She smiled shyly back at him, unable to stop the hope from bubbling up inside her.

**And ****When the night falls on you baby  
****You're feeling all alone  
****You won't be on your own  
****I'll stand by you  
****I'll stand by you  
****Won't let nobody hurt you  
****I'll stand by you**

As he sang the last note, Harm tore his eyes away from Mac, and looked instead at his charge. Mattie flashed him an 'I told you so look', and tilted her head towards Mac. He rolled his eyes and strummed the last chord. His three captivated listeners applauded,

"That was great sir!" Jen was the first to speak.

"Thanks Jen," Harm replied, putting is guitar back down. "Shall we eat?"

"Sounds good, I'm starving, and Jen and I still need to eat our weight in ice cream!" Mattie replied, bouncing to her feet and heading to the table. Jen followed her and Harm quickly got up and headed to the kitchen area to retrieve the dinner. Mac stayed where she was, a slightly dazed expression on her face.

"Mac?" Harm called, "are you coming to eat ninja girl?" Mac nodded, and got to her feet, slowly making her way over to join the girls at the table.

* * *

I spose it's a cliffy, but not really. I don't think it's the best chapter in the world, it seems to have jumped around a bit but I'm hoping that you all enjoyed it and aren't too mad at me for leaving a bit of a cliffie. I just needed to stop it somewhere and here seemed the best place. Next chapter Mattie will just give them a third and final shove and we'll see where it takes them!!!!!! 

All reviews welcomed:o)


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter!!! Reviews make my day at work so much brighter!!

I hope you like this next chapter, I really enjoyed writing it, it was really fun!

Special thanks to Mari for beta-ing this for me :o)

**

* * *

**

_Well, she's not mad, _I think to myself, _she's even playing along. I wish it wasn't just acting, but I've come to accept that there can't be anything more than friendship between us. That's all she wants. I love her too much to push her into something she doesn't want. She's realised what Mattie's up to, of course. I wonder if she understands that those lyrics, and the ones I just sang, describe my feelings for her to a T? I doubt it. Since she doesn't reciprocate them, I doubt she's given the words a second thought. _

We're all still sat at the dinner table; everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. I wondered if Jen would feel comfortable with Mac here. I mean socializing with one senior officer out of the office is one thing; but two is another altogether. But I should have known better. Jen's a good kid. She hasn't had an easy life and she's done an amazing job of getting back on track. I'm really glad she agreed to live with Mattie. The two of them get on like a house on fire, and I think it suits Mattie better to have Jen as a roommate than me.

I can't stop a contented smile, as I sit and quietly take in the scene in front of me. Mac and Jen are laughing together at something that Mattie was saying. I watch as Mattie picks up a peanut butter M&M from the top of her bowl of ice cream and throws it at Jen, who dodges it easily, before retaliating with one of her own, which misses Mattie but instead hits me. They all pause, awaiting my reaction.

"Hey!" I all but squeal indignantly. "Watch it, young lady!" I add in a mock stern voice, taking in the slightly nervous expression on Jen's face. I try to bite back a grin,

"I'm sorry, Si…." Her apology is cut off when I fling a Hershey's Kiss back at her, which typically, bounces of her shoulder and lands in Mac's bowl of ice cream. _Great, _I think to myself, _now I have 3 women staring at me like I'm crazy. _Then I hear Mattie collapse into giggles.

"Food fight!!!" she shouts, picking grabbing a handful of M&Ms from the bag on the table and flinging them at me.

"Oh you are so going dow…." Evidently there is a look of shock on my face, as I notice Mac and Jen giggling at me too. I can't help but laugh, I can't believe what I'm about to do. Very slowly, I pick up my spoon, place some M&Ms on it, and fling it at my ward!

Suddenly all hell seems to break loose, and we are all throwing whatever ice cream toppings we can get our hands on at each other. I see Mattie dipping her spoon in her bowl of ice cream, and I quickly duck behind the sofa, thinking I'm safe, only to suddenly feel something cold land on the top of my head! Spinning around, I see my Marine standing behind me, a dripping spoon in her hand and an impish grin on her face. I can't stop the laughter bubbling up inside me and I jump to my feet.

"Are you starting on me Marine?!" I ask, picking up my bowl and edging closer and closer. She starts to back away from me, seemingly not realizing that I am backing her into a corner. I'm just about to launch the contents of my bowl at her, when she squeals and make a run for it, darting by me. Without thinking, I throw my free arm out, catching her around the waist, and we both fall to the ground with a thump. From my position on the floor, half covered by Sarah Mackenzie's body, my eyes widen with shock when I see a bowl of ice cream come flying from the air, to land upside down on Mac's head.

I can't help it, I just can't stop the laughter. She looks so cute. She has vanilla ice cream dripping down her face, and is giggling hysterically, all the while half straddling my body.

Suddenly, I just can't resist, and I boldly reach out with one finger and wipe some of the ice cream of her cheek. Capturing her surprised eyes with mine, I wink at her, and suck the ice cream off my finger. Her eyes widen even more, and I spy a slight blush gracing her cheeks. We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity, which I'm sure Mac could tell me was no more than a few seconds, when we are interrupted by someone clearing their throat. _Shit, Mattie! _I think, turning to face my ward, who, along with Jen, is peering down at us, another 'I told you so grin' on her face. Quickly, Mac pulls herself off me and I jump too my feet, offering her a hand up which she takes after a brief hesitation.

We all stare at each other for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing. We look ridiculous, and for a moment I wish I had a camera. These images alone would be enough to blackmail all three of them for years to come!

"Matilda Grace, this is all your fault!" I say, unable to stop the laughter from coming, while trying to sound as stern as possible.

"Nuh-uh!" Mattie protested weakly, "Jen and Mac started it!"

I laugh. "Never mind, you girls go and clean yourselves up next door, Mac and I will sort this mess out!"

At my comment, Mac puts her hands on her hips, "You mean I have to help clean up?! You caused most of this mess Sailor!"

"Suck it up Marine!" I reply, "You'll get to take a shower in due course..!" I wince slightly, at the unintentionally husky tone of my voice, and the flirtatious overtones of my words. For a moment I wonder if she's about to kick my six in to next year, but instead she just shrugs, and winks at the girls.

"Go on you to before he changes his mind!" She moves into the kitchen and picks up a cloth, "Come on flyboy, we better get started!" she tosses over her shoulder as she starts to wipe up the mess that we have created.

**

* * *

**

I follow Mattie back to our apartment, and can't help but notice the look of glee on my roommate's face. From what I saw tonight, I guess that the office scuttlebutt is right. I have to admit I never really doubted it, but now there's no room for any doubt.

Mattie was right, and I really hope that her little pushes will have done the trick; if there are any people in this world who really deserve some happiness, it's the Commander and the Colonel.

"Nice trick with the food fight!" I say to Mattie, "and the guitar playing. That was well done!"

"The food fight wasn't really what I had planned, but hey!" Mattie replied, "It worked didn't it?!" She looks extraordinarily happy with herself.

"Don't count your chickens." I warn her, not wanting to put a damper on her mood, but I realize that there have to be more issues going on behind the scenes than what we know and can see. For two people who are that clearly in love with each other, to have known each other for so long and still not have acted on those feelings, there have to be some serious issues.

"We better leave them alone now anyway." I continue, "They did say they have to work on a case, and we better get started on these films if we want to finish them before the morning! I'm going to go get into my pyjamas; I'll see you in a minute?"

Mattie nods, and we disappear into our separate bedrooms. I can't smiling as I get myself cleaned up. A couple of months of living with a teenage girl seems to have turned me into a complete, hopeless romantic! I was never a real girlie girl growing up, and I gave up on hoping for my prince charming by the time I was about 8. But if the Commander and the Colonel sort things out, I may have to re-think my stance.

**

* * *

**

As I wander around Harm's apartment, straightening up the mess we made, I feel Harm's eyes following me for a few seconds at a time. I can tell he wants to talk, but doesn't know what to say. I know how he feels. I can still feel his finger stroking against my cheek as he scooped up that ice cream. That could be classified as one of the most sensuous moments of my life. If Jen and Mattie hadn't been there, I honestly don't know what would have happened. I know what I wanted to happen. And if I was reading Harm right then he was having similar thoughts. Now we are stuck in a familiar pattern. We got too close and are surrounded by an awkward silence. It's a position we are far too familiar with, and I'm determined that tonight we will move past it. Somehow.

I can feel his eyes on me again, so I look up from wiping the table to meet his gaze. He offers me a slightly nervous grin.

"We're almost done, why don't you go hop in the shower and I'll finish up here? We can put your clothes in the wash, you can borrow some of mine until they are ready." He says.

I nod, put the cloth down and head towards the bathroom. I hear him padding softly behind me, breaking off as he moves into his bedroom. I start to take my jewellery off, placing it on the counter when Harm knocks on the door and a pile of clothes are thrust at me.

"Here's a towel and some clothes." He says, "Help yourself to whatever you need."

"Thanks Harm." I reply, opening the door and taking the bundle from him. "I won't be long."

He winks at me again, "Take your time, the night is young!"

When I come out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of Harm's boxers and a baggy t-shirt with 'Navy' printed on it in big block letters, I find the apartment looking spic and span and Harm collapsed dozing on the sofa, a piece of paper, that I correctly identify as part of our client's testimony, dangling from his left hand.

I sneak up on him and, unable to stop myself, perch on the side of the sofa watching him sleep. He looks like a little boy when he's asleep. It's something that I noticed in Russia, in Afghanistan and even in Paraguay, even though I was too pissed at him to let it affect me. When he's asleep, all the cares and worries that he perpetually carries around on his shoulders disappear, he looks so peaceful. I really don't want to wake him. I could watch him sleep forever. He shifts slightly and frowns in his sleep. I can't help myself and reach out to stroke the worry lines from his forehead. His hand suddenly reaches up and catches my wrist just as his eyes start to blink open.

"Hey." He says softly,

"Hi" I reply, "Shower's free." His eyes blink shut again for a second, then he stretches and sits up. I go to move off the sofa to give him room to get up, that is until I notice he is still holding my wrist. When he catches me looking at his hand, he grins slightly, moving his hand to gently run a finger down my cheek for the second time that evening. He looks into my eyes for a second, his flyboy grin threatening to appear in full force, then glances ever so quickly down to my lips, before moving his finger to tap my softly on the nose.

"I won't be long." He said getting to his feet and heading in the direction of his bedroom.

* * *

One or two chapters to go…... hope you liked it!! 


	5. Chapter 5

Here we go again! hope you all enjoy it!

Thank you so much to everyone who has been leaving me such lovely reviews, i know i say it every chapter i really do appreaciate hearing your thoughts so much. it really does make my day! Also thanks to Mari for beta-ing again! You're a star, thanks for getting it back to me so quickly!!!

* * *

When Harm was finished getting changed, he came out to find Mac curled up on the sofa surrounded by files, with one balanced precariously on her lap. He paused for a moment to watch her. She was completely engrossed in what she was reading. She had tied back her wet, dark hair, which was escaping in curly tendrils to frame her face. She looked really comfortable, like she belonged there. A smile appeared on his face as he thought back to the food fight they had had earlier. If Mattie and Jen hadn't interrupted them… he felt himself blush as he remembered his actions and the look of surprise, but not displeasure, on Mac's face.

Mac could feel his eyes on her. He'd been staring at her for the past two and a half minutes. Knowing that it would have to be her that made first move after her words in Paraguay, she couldn't resist flirting a little bit.

"See something you like, Sailor?!" She said in a slightly breathless, but bored voice without looking up from the paper on her lap. She grinned to herself as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harm jump about six feet in the air at the sound of her voice.

"So what if I do?!" he replied, much to her shock. She had presumed that he would retreat again, back into the pattern that they we stuck in; flirt...get too close…bolt.

She looked up at him, and saw that he was once again smiling that slightly nervous smile, like he couldn't quite believe what he had just said, but was waiting hopefully to hear her response.

"That depends on what you're going to do about it!" Mac heard her own voice say. She froze in sudden terror, trying not to look in Harm's direction. Silence. Mac was now acutely aware of the blush that had appeared on her cheeks. _Idiot, _a voice in her head said, _you were getting along so well, now he's going to run away. All because of you. Just like everyone does. It's all your fault. _Mac felt hot tears pricking at her eyelids as the words of self doubt that had haunted her entire life, came rushing to her mind once again. She could still feel Harm's eyes on her.

Harm couldn't believe it. She hadn't thrown him a red light! Quite the opposite, in fact. But now he could see she was withdrawing back into her shell, her emotional defences reasserting their dominance over her mind. Determined to stop her from closing him out again, he did the only thing that he could think of. He raced over to her, reached out and tilted her head so she was looking at him, and kissed her ever so gently and briefly on the lips.

Mac jumped as she felt the touch of Harm's hand, her eyes widening as she realised he was now kneeling in front of her, a gentle expression she had never seen before in his eyes. The feeling, even for such a brief time, of his lips on hers absolutely floored her and she let out a slight sigh as he pulled away, his eyes fluttering open as he sat back on his haunches.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, both unable to speak, and terrified at what the other might say, Harm almost waiting for the feeling of Mac's hand coming up to slap his face. He saw her hand moving towards his face, and he steeled himself to wait for the blow that was sure to come. He deserved it after all. But it didn't. To his surprise, her fingers landed softly on his cheek, running down the side of his face slowly, torturously. His eyes had flickered closed again at her touch, savouring the feel of her fingers on his skin, as he was still half sure that any moment soon she would come to her senses and hurt him for being so presumptuous.

"Harm?" her voice was a whisper. It took all of Harm's courage to open his eyes and force them to meet her beautiful brown ones. What he saw in them surprised him, allowing hope to once again surge in his heart. She was smiling. A full-blown Mac smile. One that he hadn't seen for a long time. He opened his mouth to say something, but was promptly shushed as Mac pressed her finger to his lips to stop the words escaping.

Mac's heart was still racing from the kiss, let alone the electricity which was now crackling between them. All she could think of was kissing him again. And again. Sure they had kissed before, a lot more passionately as well. But never had his kiss been so full of promise, full of hope. It hit her suddenly, that no matter how many times they had pushed each other away, hurt each other either on purpose or my mistake, they were just meant to be together. There was nothing else to it. He was the only one who she could ever picture growing old with. Very slowly, she kneeled down next him, all the while never breaking eye contact. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck as the kiss deepened and became more passionate. Both of them were too distracted to hear anything not the door of the apartment open and the soft foot falls of a teenager which paused suddenly as her eyes took in the scene in front of her, nor the footsteps quickly moving away again and the soft click of the door shutting.

**

* * *

**

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! It worked! _Were the only coherent thoughts running through my brain as I race down the hallway back to the apartment I share with Jen.

I hurtle into the apartment, "Jen! You'll never guess what…." I yell as I collapse onto the sofa next to my roommate.

"It worked?" she guessed with a grin, taking in my happy face and the fact that I returned without the popcorn I'd gone in search of in the first place.

"Yep! I just walked in on them kissing!" I reply excitedly, "They didn't notice me, so I snuck out again! But isn't that so exciting?!"

"That's really great Matts." Jen replies with a smile, but I can see that she's not as happy as I am.

"What's wrong? Aren't you pleased about it?" I ask, worried.

Jen sighed. "Of course I'm happy! I'm over the moon for them, I can't think of two people who deserve to find happiness more than Harm and the Colonel." She replies with a genuine smile.

"But?"

"I'm worried about the General's reaction. The UCMJ has some pretty clear rules on fraternisation between officers. Before, with Admiral Chegwidden I think they could find a way around it. He was a lot closer to his staff than the General is. With the Admiral, everyday he half expected them to come into his office and tell him their relationship had changed; he was in on the office pool! But the General is completely different."

"I'm sure it will be alright!" I reply. I've never really understood all the Navy rules and regulations. These two people have been in love with each other for so long. Surely they aren't going to get in trouble for that. "Should we go in and see them when the movie finishes?" I continue. "I want to make sure everything's alright."

"Sure!" Jen agrees, and I can see her eyes sparkle with excitement. The one thing I noticed about the JAG team the few times I have met them, is just how much of a family they are. I know Harm doesn't have the easiest relationship with his mother, and from the time I've spent with Mac I've come to realise that our families share similar traits, so she doesn't really have any family either. They are all a lot closer than just work colleagues. They stick up for each other, support each other through everything. They are everything a family should be.

I can't stop smiling now. I really can't believe it worked! They looked pretty involved in that kiss! I wonder how it happened. I sigh happily to myself and turn my attention back to the screen, where Reese Witherspoon is just about to sign her divorce papers at her wedding. I hope that one day I'll have a guy looking at me the way that Harm looks at Mac, or Jake looks at Melanie in the film.

**

* * *

MAC's POV**

After a while we pull back from the kiss. My heart is pounding like crazy, I'm straddling Harm's lap, and my lips feel a little bit swollen. But I can't stop the grin that I know has appeared on my face. Harm is looking at me in a way that I've never seen before. I think he wants to kiss me again. He's flashing that Flyboy grin at me. _I wonder if they teach that at flight school…He's certainly got it down to a T._ I think idly as I feel my already weak defences start to melt and I lean in for another kiss. We stay like this, trading kisses for about 15 minutes, I say _about _because I really can't be sure. He seems to have thrown my internal clock slightly out of whack, something that I am never going to mention to him.

I am crazy about the guy, but I'll be the first to admit that he has a rather healthy ego and I'm not about to start building it up any further. When we both pull back, we look at each other a little sheepishly.

"So…" Harm starts, obviously not sure what to say. I don't blame him. I don't have a clue either.

"That was um…" I hear myself responding, unable to articulate my thoughts completely.

Harm's flyboy grin is back as he seems to understand what I'm saying.

"Yeah" he agrees, blushing slightly.

We stare at each other for another few minutes. Four, I think, but I still can't be sure. Then I just start laughing. I can't help it. I just keep giggling. Harm is watching me with a slightly hurt look on his face and I can't say I blame him.

"I'm sorry Harm, I'm not laughing at you!" I manage to get out, "I'm laughing at us! We're acting like teenagers!"

He smiles then, knowing that it is true. "So.." he starts again, clearly slightly tongue-tied. "I…uhhh…" he sighs softly, and leans forward to give me another brief kiss. As he pulls back, I reach out and grab his hand in mine.

"Harm," I say nervously. I need to get this out, whatever is going to happen between us can't start until I've told him this. My expression is obviously showing my nerves, and he start to look away again. I tug on his hand slightly and he looks at me again. I take a deep breath and start, "I'm sorry." I say simply.

He looks like he's about to respond so I carry on quickly, my heart pounding. "I've never regretted anything like I do what I said in Paraguay."

Harm opens his mouth to reply, and I put a finger over his lips to shush him. He needs to understand this otherwise it will eat him up inside. I know my Flyboy. "I didn't mean it Harm. I was just so exhausted by it all, don't think I don't understand what you gave up to come and rescue me. When I was lying on that table, all I could think about was you. That I was going to die, and we had never managed to get past our issues; the only man I could ever envision spending the rest of my life with, and we couldn't get past it.

Then you appeared, just like I had hoped you would, but with everything we had to do we just never had the time to talk about us. Something inside me just snapped and just I couldn't cope with it all anymore. I hated myself the minute I said the words, but they were already out there. We have always done such a good job of hurting each other with words and I didn't know how to fix it." I feel the tears rising in my eyes as he looks at me expressionlessly. I can't tell what he's thinking. I never can. His silence is unnerving me so I look at my hands, trying to fight the tears that are slipping down my face.

Suddenly I find myself engulfed in his arms. He is holding onto me for dear life, pulling me firmly against his chest.

"God, I love you so much." I hear him say softly, and the tears start falling faster. I can't stop them. I'm not sure if even I understand just how long I have been waiting to hear him say those words. We stay like that for a while. Just holding each other, until we are predictably interrupted by the arrival of a rather cheerful teenager and Petty Officer.

"Hi gu…" Mattie starts as she bounds exuberantly into the apartment, trailing off when her eyes land on us. "Sorry, are we interrupting?" she says after a moments hesitation. I pull back from Harm's embrace and smile warmly at her.

"No, we were just about to put a DVD on ourselves, we aren't getting anywhere with the case. Why don't you to join us?" Mattie looks dubiously from my obviously puffy eyes to the unreadable expression on Harm's face.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive" Harm replies firmly, smiling down at me warmly. _Thank god! _I think to myself, _he understands. _He gets to his feet stiffly; he has after all been sitting on the floor for the last hour or so, and his back is obviously a bit sore.

"Do you girls want a drink?" he says as he moves into the kitchen. He nods at Mattie and Jen's requests and shuffles off quietly. I can feel their eyes on me, so I look up and give them a big smile.

"We were going to put a _West Wing_ DVD on, why don't you find one you want while I help Harm with the drinks." The girls quickly agree. Bless them, they know that they have interrupted something and are clearly doing their best to give us some space. I hop to my feet quickly and follow after Harm.

We stand next to each other, sorting out the drinks in silence. Mattie and Jen's chatter floating across from the other side of the apartment. It's not the most awkward silence we've shared, but its close.

Then Harm speaks. "I'm sorry too." He says quietly. "I was being a jackass then. Everything I did just seemed to make the situation worse. I was so scared of losing you Mac, I didn't know what to do, or how to make it right."

I turn to face him, a teary smile on my face. "Well I think you've managed it right now Sailor." I reply, looking up into his worried eyes. The relief I find there is touching and I just have to stand up on tiptoe and press my lips against his again. His arms wrap around me and I feel myself melting into his embrace.

"So we're ok?" I hear him whisper as he pulls away.

"We're ok." I agree, smiling at him shyly which he returns with equal shyness.

"We better get in there, I suppose." He says after a few seconds. I nod and pick up mine and Jen's glasses, following him back to the living room, where Mattie and Jen are lounging on the sofa, taking up all of the room. I put the glasses on the table and turn to face them, hands on my hips.

"And where am I supposed to sit?!"

"On Harm" Mattie replies innocently, "I'm sure he gives good hugs!" I laugh at that and exchange an amused glance with my partner.

"Well I suppose he probably would make a good pillow!" I reply with an exaggerated sigh, trying not to laugh as Harm quirks an eyebrow at me. I move quickly over to where he has sprawled in the armchair and sit gingerly on his lap, hideously aware of Mattie and Jen watching me. I fidget slightly, trying to get comfortable, when Harm pulls me back suddenly, so I am sitting on his lap, with my legs stretched out over the arm of the chair, my head on his shoulder and his arms firmly wrapped around my waist.

"Comfy Ninja Girl?" he murmurs softly in my ear.

I flash him a quick smile, "Very!" I reply under my breath in what I hope is a sexy tone.

He grins back at me disarmingly and I force myself to turn my attention to the TV. Now is not the time for those kinds of thoughts! A few minutes in, I take advantage of Mattie and Jen's distraction to lean up and whisper in his ear.

"And Harm? I love you too." He looks down at me, his eyes almost as wide as the smile that threatens to split his face in two. He kisses me quickly, conveying one hell of a lot of emotion into that brief kiss.

We turn our attention back to the screen, both grinning hugely.

We're going to be ok.

* * *

teehee, fluff! i love it! hope you did too!!!

1 more chappie to come and then i'm closing the lid on this one! with any luck inspiration for my other stories will return!!

thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Ok, i lied, there's going to another chapter after this...!! but thats it!

thank you to everyone who has reviewed during the course of this story! u guys are my heroes! and thanks again to Mari for beta-ing:o)

hope you like this next chapter!!

* * *

Truth be told, Mac was slightly nervous as she walked into Headquarters that morning. It wasn't that she wasn't happy about the developments in her relationship with Harm. Far from it in fact; that part of her life she was over the moon about. What worried her were all of the implications of that relationship in the other aspects of their lives. All of the worries that they had both been fighting against for the better part of 9 years were brought to the foreground of her mind at the sight of the impressive building where they spent a large proportion of their time. No matter how happy they were together, it was obvious to both of them that there were still obstacles in their way; mainly the UCMJ, their new CO and their friends. Their friends weren't an obstacle as such; Mac knew from a many long conversations with Harriet over the years that they would all be happy for the pair. But that didn't make telling them any less daunting.

They had agreed that they would keep their new relationship quiet until they had the chance to talk to the General about it. Mac smiled to herself as she recalled Petty Officer Coates' reaction to them asking her to keep things quiet for a while:

After they had finished watching a couple of episodes of the West Wing on Saturday night, Harm turned to Jen and said, "Jen, we know this is a lot to ask.."

"You want me to keep things quiet for a while?" she had interrupted with a knowing smile. She and Harm had exchanged amused grins at the young woman's perceptiveness.

"We don't want to put you in a difficult position with the General, but we wanted to keep things quiet for a while. Just until we have a chance to discuss our options with him." Harm had continued.

Jen had offered them another grin, "Its not a problem Sir." She replied, before continuing, "but on one condition….. you protect me from Lt Simm's wrath when she finds out I already knew."

They had all laughed at that, and Mac had taken the opportunity to pipe up from her position on Harm's lap. "Consider it a deal Jen."

* * *

"Morning Colonel," Harriet called as Mac moved through the bullpen to her office, interrupting her thoughts. 

"Morning Harriet," She replied distractedly without stopping, intent on getting to her office without incident. She was worried that everyone would be able to see her feelings written on her face, that she wouldn't be able to keep their secret.

"Ma'am…." Harriet said trailing off as Mac opened the door to her office, took two steps inside, then turned round and looked accusingly at her friend. "Mr Webb is waiting to see you, Ma'am." Harriet added hastily, noting with interest the annoyed look on her friend's face. As far as she knew, Mac and Webb were still dating._ I wonder what's brought this on._ Harriet thought to herself as she smiled apologetically at Mac.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Mac replied, turning to place her briefcase on her desk and shutting the door behind her.

"What do you want, Clay?" she asked angrily, the second the door was closed.

"You didn't return my calls." Clay replied weakly, a little unnerved by her anger. "I wanted to apologise, make it up to you?" Her face was unreadable.

"No, Clay, I told you it wasn't working out between us. We are better off as…" she trailed off as Webb moved up to her side, taking her hand in his.

"Sarah…I really am sorry." He repeated, "Forgive me? We were great together."

Her eyes softened slightly, "I'm sorry, Clay…" she started to say, when her door swung open and Harm's grinning face appeared in the doorway.

"Morning Ninja…." He stopped when he saw Clay holding her hand, eyes flashing in annoyance. "Webb" he acknowledged, before turning his attention back to Mac, who was looking at him with a pleading look in her eyes, begging him to understand. "Staff Call in 5, Mac." He said softly, offering her a slight, but unreadable, smile.

"See you in there." She replied quietly, fighting back the tears as she imagined how the scene must have looked to him. Harm nodded at them both and slipped back out the door, turning back on himself to go back to his office.

In Mac's office, the two remaining occupants were stood in silence. As Harm had left the room, Mac had pulled her hand from Webb's grasp and moved round to sit at her desk, putting some distance between them.

"You love him, don't you?" she heard Webb say. Her head snapped up in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked Sarah. I saw your face when he walked in, you thought he was going to be mad."

"I don't know." She replied quietly, lying through her teeth, "But things haven't been working out with us for a while Clay. You know that. We were better off as friends."

Webb sighed, he knew he had lost her. In truth, he wondered if he had ever really had her.

"You don't want to be late for Staff Call," he said with a small smile, "I'll see you around Sarah." He turned to walk out the door, pausing with his hand on the door handle. "And for what its worth. I think you'll find he loves you too, Sarah."

He opened the door but stopped as she spoke again, "Clay? Thanks for everything." He could hear hesitation in her voice, "But call me Mac ok." He felt his heart sink, with those words she had closed off her heart to him forever. He forced a smile on to his face and turned to face her once more.

"See you later, Mac." He said quietly, before turning and leaving for good.

She watched him go regretfully. He had been good to her, and despite her current situation with Harm, she felt bad for hurting him. As she watched him leave, it suddenly struck her just how empty the bullpen was. Realising that she was late for Staff Call, she grabbed a pad of paper and a pen off her desk and rushed to the conference room.

* * *

She slipped into her seat opposite Harm, mumbling an apology. 

"Nice of you to join us, Colonel." General Cresswell said sternly.

"Sorry Sir, I lost track of time." She said, blushing slightly, and refusing to meet Harm's eyes.

"Don't let it happen again. How are you and Commander Rabb coming with your case?"

"We're still tracking down a couple of witnesses, but we'll be ready for court on Wednesday sir."

"Good." He turned his attention to the other officers around the table, "Commander Turner, Commander Roberts.." Mac looked back down at her hands, trying to work up the courage to look at her partner whose gaze she could feel boring into her. At the General's call of 'dismissed', she got up quietly and followed the others out of the conference room.

She had barely sat at her desk when she heard a voice in the doorway calling her name. Looking up she saw Harriet standing in front of her, looking a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong Harriet?" she asked, confused. If there was anyone she would have expected to be standing in her doorway with that expression on their face, it would have been Harm. _He's probably mad at me because he saw me with Clay, _she though to herself sadly. _And today started off so well…_

She was interrupted from that particular train of thought by Harriet's voice, "Ma'am? Mac? Are you ok, Ma'am?"

Mac blinked a couple of times and refocused on her friend, who was now regarding her with open concern, "Sorry Harriet, what were you saying?"

"Are you ok, Ma'am? You seemed a little out of sorts during Staff Call, and you didn't seem too pleased to see Mr Webb. Did the two of you have a fight?"

"Clay and I broke up over the weekend," Mac admitted, "things weren't really working out, and he was away a lot."

Harriet looked at her sympathetically, "Are you ok Ma'am?"

"It was my idea Harriet," Mac admitted honestly, "He came barging in to my apartment when Harm and I were working on the case. He was rather jealous because I'd already cancelled on him. Well, you can imagine what he said."

"He accused you of cheating?" Harriet said in surprise. Anyone who knew Mac knew she wasn't the sort of person that did that. "With the Commander?" At Mac's nod of acquiescence Harriet couldn't resist testing the waters a little; she had been waiting 9 years for the pair to admit to their feelings after all. "What did he think about that?" That brought a smile to Mac's face,

"He told me Clay was an idiot and I deserved better." _Like him,_ both women thought.

There was another knock at the door and Harm entered, pausing in the doorway, his words dying on his lips for the second time that morning.

"You got a…" He stopped as he saw Harriet and smiled at the women.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I'll come back." He turned to leave again.

"Commander, wait, I was just leaving." Harriet said with a smile.

"Thanks for listening, Harriet." Mac called after her retreating figure, before turning her attention to the tall, handsome lawyer still standing in her doorway. They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, neither knowing what to say.

"Staying or going Harm?" Mac said eventually.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to talk to me or not?!" Mac said, trying to put a teasing grin on her face.

That spurred him into action. He closed the door behind him as he stepped fully into the office and sat down on the other chair.

"So Webb was here," he said casually, forcing himself to meet her eyes with his own, relieved at the flicker of annoyance he saw their.

"I know, I'm sorry, Harm, it wasn't what it looked like.." she started pleadingly, before noticing something odd: He was smirking. He wasn't mad at all, he was just having a little fun with her. She picked up a pen off her desk and threw it at him, "You jerk!" she told him, smiling "I thought you were really mad at me!" To her surprise, and his, she couldn't help the tears that suddenly cascaded down her face, and through her tears she saw his expression turn to one of worry as he jumped to his feet and rushed round the desk, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey, hey, its ok, Sarah." He whispered soothingly, stroking her back gently. "I admit I was surprised to see him there holding your hand like that, but I know you wouldn't do anything like that." She pulled back slightly to look at him, a few tears still making their way down her face.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, "I was just so scared that I might have messed things up." He flashed her a gently smile,

"Mac, I love you, and I trust you. Don't you think its time we moved past the miscommunication and misdirection stage?!"

"OK who are you and what have you done with Harm?!" she asked teasingly, resisting the temptation to lean forward and give him a kiss. They had agreed to keep things professional at work, acting the same way they always had. Harm pouted playfully, and leaned forward to place a quick kiss on the tip of her nose.

"I guess I've finally grown up!" he replied, "Now, I better get back to my office and start on some paperwork before we go and interview those witnesses. I'll see you at 1100? Maybe we could get some lunch after the interviews?"

"Sure, that would be nice." He got to his feet and headed to the door. "And Harm?" she called softly. He turned to face her again, "I love you, you know that right?"

His flyboy grin appeared, "I love you, too." He replied quietly, before striding out of her office and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Reviews make me as happy as chocolate...:o) 


	7. Chapter 7

Here we go, its the final chapter, i hope you all like it!

Thanks to each and everyone of you who have left me reviews for this story! I can't emphasise enough how much i appreciate all the reviews i get - good or bad!

Special thanks go to Mari for beta-ing - its been so helpful to hear your views and and suggestions, so thanks a million :o)

* * *

"When are we going to tell the General?" Harm asked hesitantly, taking a bite of his salad. He and Mac had stopped in a diner for lunch on their way back to Falls Church, having been interviewing witnesses for their case for half of the morning.

Mac smiled back at him nervously. "This afternoon?" she replied, amused at the flicker of fear that appeared on Harm's face.

"How about on Thursday? I'm sure our client would like us to be alive to defend him on Wednesday."

"Scaredy cat!" she teased, reaching over and giving his free hand a quick squeeze.

"I'm not scared!" Harm protested good naturedly, "I'd just like to be around to enjoy our time together." Mac blushed at his words.

"So what are we going to tell him?" she asked. Harm shrugged.

"The truth, I guess. We've wasted so much time apart, I don't want to hide now that we're finally together." He replied with nervous and shy smile.

Mac looked at him in surprise. "You know for someone who is absolutely terrible at talking about their feelings, and has always been so good at running at the slightest hint of commitment, you sure do know how to say the right thing when you want to!" she replied, letting out a little giggle when Harm started pouting again. "Stop pouting, Flyboy! How am I supposed to keep my hands off you when you look so damn cute?!"

"What if I don't want you to keep your hands off me?!" Harm countered quickly with a grin. Mac looked at him sternly.

"Red Light, Commander…" she paused and winked at him, lowering her voice slightly, "At least while we're in uniform!"

Harm couldn't resist the grin that appeared on his face as he whispered huskily,

"Are you inviting me to get you out of your uniform Colonel?!" Mac's jaw dropped slightly, before she collapsed into giggles, throwing her balled up napkin at him.

* * *

"Jen, does the General have a minute?" Harm asked nervously, trying to ignore the knowing grin that had appeared on the young Petty Officer's face.

"He's just finishing up with Commander Turner. I'll let him know that you and Colonel MacKenzie are waiting to see him."

"Thanks, Jen. I'll be in my office." Harm replied, not wanting to wait in a place where people could see him.

He had just sat down at his desk, when his phone rang. "Rabb" he said, picking up the receiver.

"The General is waiting for you, Sir." Jen's voice came over the speaker.

"We'll be right in, Jen." He replied, feeling the butterflies in his stomach increase tenfold.

He stood up and went next door to pick up Mac on his way to the General's office

"Are you ready Ninja Girl?" She looked up and smiled warmly at him.

"As I'll ever be." She replied, moving to follow him out of the door.

Once they arrived at Jen's desk, she buzzed the General to let him know they were waiting.

"Send them in." His gruff voice sounded over the intercom after a few seconds, and Mac heard Harm take a deep breath.

"Good Luck, Sir, Ma'am." Jen said softly as she ushered them into the office, closing the door quickly behind them.

Mac followed Harm into the room, and came to attention beside him. Cresswell didn't look up from his papers, but said "At ease, both of you." They both relaxed, but Harm couldn't stop shifting about nervously. "Something on your mind, Commander?" Cresswell said finally, looking up at the two officers standing in front of him.

"No, Sir." Harm replied automatically. Mac glanced at him sideways. "I mean yes, Sir."

Cresswell frowned at the pair, wondering what the hell was going on with them. He wasn't a fool, he had picked up on the tension between them from the moment he'd met them. They hadn't been speaking to each other at the time, but their body language had spoken volumes. His subsequent conversations with his predecessor had only served to confirm his thoughts, and he had secretly been waiting for them to come knocking on his door looking just as nervous and guilty as they did right now.

"Well, which is it, Commander?" he replied sternly.

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" Harm requested nervously.

"Granted. Why don't you both sit down." Momentarily forgetting their military discipline, they exchanged bewildered glances, before sitting down and returning their attention to their CO.

Harm hesitated again. "Sir, the Colonel and I," he paused, "We uh, wanted to let you know that…."

"Yes, Commander?" Cresswell couldn't stop a small smirk from appearing, it was just too funny watching them both squirm. And they say Generals don't have a sense of humour!

"Umm, the Colonel and I have, uh reached an understanding regarding our personal uh relationship, Sir." Harm carried on, hoping that the General would understand the euphemism.

"I see," Cresswell furrowed his brow as he continued to gaze at them impassively. "I noticed that there has been a fair amount of tension between the pair of you since I took over from Admiral Chegwidden. Am I to understand that you have resumed your friendship?" The look on Harm's face was priceless. He was clearly dreading having to say the actual words.

"Yes, Sir, I suppose you could say that." Harm replied evasively. Cresswell noticed that Mac couldn't resist rolling her eyes at her partner's response.

"Something you would like to add, Colonel?" he added gruffly. This was just too much fun. Mac went pale, shooting Harm a glare out the corner of her eye when she noticed him smirking. _Fine, _she thought stubbornly, _If he can't do it, I will!_

"Yes, Sir. The Commander didn't quite paint the right picture regarding our relationship, Sir. We agreed over the weekend to start seeing each other romantically, Sir." She blushed as she said it, as did Harm, as they waited silently for his reaction.

"I see." He said gravely. Then, to the shock of the two officers sitting opposite him, his face cracked into a smile. "I've only known the pair of you a short while, but even I think it's about time!"

"Sir?" Harm asked uncertainly, looking completely confused by his reaction.

"Let's just say I had a couple of conversations with Admiral Chegwidden regarding the pair of you. As long as you keep things professional in the office, then I'm happy for you both." The look of relief on their faces was almost funny.

"Thank you, Sir." They chorused.

"Of course, if your relationship takes on a more permanent nature, then we will have to revisit this." Cresswell took a moment to observe their reactions to his words. Harm looked at him warily, as if he knew that conversation was inevitable but still wasn't sure he ever wanted to hear it. Mac, for her part, looked worried at the thought of such a conversation; one that would tear apart their joint existence which they had clung to for almost ten years, even if it was for a greater good, offering an even more intertwined reality. Whether they both realised it yet or not, it was clear to the man who sat watching them that the two of them had already decided, separately, that the two of them were going to be together forever. That one's future could not exist without the other.

"Dismissed." They both came to attention, executed a perfectly in sync about turn and left the office smiling bashfully at each other.

Shaking his head, General Cresswell reached for his phone, dialling a number that he hadn't had to use yet.

"A.J.? Gordon Cresswell." He paused as the man on the other end of the line responded

"Fine, thank you. How are you enjoying retirement? Good, I'm glad. I just had a most interesting conversation with Mackenzie and Rabb…" he trailed off as AJ Chegwidden's excited voice interrupted him.

"Yes, it appears they have finally seen the light." He added. "I don't think they have told the others yet. Although Coates seemed rather excited when she told me they were waiting to see me. I think she might know." He paused again, listening. "I've never seen Rabb look so nervous! Well I have a meeting with the SecNav shortly, but I thought you might like to know. You, too, Admiral. Goodbye."

* * *

As they left the General's office, they exchanged relieved smiles, and through silent agreement, Harm followed Mac into her office and shut the door.

"Thank goodness that's over with." He said collapsing into the other seat, as Mac sat down in her own.

"What are you looking so relieved about Flyboy, I told the General, that means you have to tell Harriet!"

"But Maacc!" Harm whined, grinning at her, "That's not fair! I was trying to tell him, and you jumped in and finished it off!"

"Sure Harm, you were going to tell him…ummmm uhh I uhh." She stuttered in a fairly accurate impression of him.

"Maaaccccc!" he whined again, pouting at her. "It's still not…" he was interrupted by a knock at the door. They exchanged amused glances,

"Come in, Jen!" Mac called with a grin, and was rewarded with Coates' head appearing around the door.

"How did you know it was me Ma'am?"

"Just a wild guess!" Mac replied with a genuine smile at the young Petty Officer.

"The General was ok then?" Jen asked, although she though she already knew the answer. They looked too relaxed, and she hadn't heard the General raise his voice during their meeting.

"He didn't seem to be surprised Jen," Harm admitted, "But we haven't told Bud and Harriet yet, so can you manage to keep it to yourself for a little while longer?"

"No worries sir." Jen replied with a grin "Can I be there when you tell her?!"

They all laughed, "We're going for drinks after work this evening, we were going to tell them then. Mattie's staying over at a girlfriend's as you know, are you going to join us?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Sir!" Jen replied with a happy smile, just as Harriet passed by the open door.

"Wouldn't miss what for the world, Petty Officer?" she asked curiously.

"Drinks this evening." Harm said quickly, "It's been a while since we've all got together for drinks."

"We are too!" Harriet replied, oblivious to the looks of relief that the other three were exchanging.

* * *

Shortly after 1800 Harm, Mac, Bud, Harriet, Jen, Sturgis and a couple of the other lawyers were gathered in McMurphy's (took out phrase here). They had changed into civvies, and were all crammed in a booth together like old times, laughing and joking.

It struck Sturgis that something was up. Harm and Mac seemed too relaxed around each other. Not that he was complaining, mind you, whatever had happened there had also caused the ice that had appeared around his and Harm's relationship to thaw. But still, something was up. His thoughts were interrupted by the pair standing up and heading to the dance floor. As he watched them dance, he suddenly saw it. He knew exactly what had changed between them. _Well I'll be damned, _he thought, a grin appearing across his handsome features, _They've finally come to their senses. _As he watched them, it became clearer and clearer. In recent times they had lost that special thing that made them Harm and Mac. But now, it was back. They were completely in sync with each other, both the centre of the other's universe once again. And they finally seemed to realise it. He watched as Harm pulled Mac closer, and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"They look happy don't they, Sir?" Jen said to his right, with a knowing grin on her face. She had watched him watch them and had seen the realisation dawn.

"Yes, Jen, they do." Sturgis replied with a grin of his own.

"Harm, you're supposed to be telling the others." Mac hissed as he pulled her into his arms.

"I know!" he replied, flashing his Flyboy grin at her, "But I've got a better idea."

"And what may I ask would that be?!" Harm glanced over at the table and, seeing that most of the table was watching them dance, put his plan into motion.

"This" he said with an adorable grin, leaning down and pressing his lips firmly against hers. His movement caught her by surprise, but it only took her a second to relax and enjoy the kiss, pulling him closer, her tongue asking permission to deepen the kiss.

After a few minutes, they pulled back, their cheeks flushed, both grinning madly.

Harm risked a glance at their table,

"Well I think they know now," he said with a chuckle. All of the occupants of the table, apart from Jen and for some reason Sturgis, were staring at them in shock.

Mac leaned back and punched him gently on the shoulder, "Wimp!" she accused with a grin, standing up on tiptoe to press her lips gently against his once again.

"Guilty as charged!" Harm replied when they pulled back again, "What says we go and face the music?" Mac gave him a reluctant smile,

"Sure." She said, slipping her hand down to link with his, and leading him back to the booth, a mask of total innocence.

Total silence greeted them.

"What's going on, guys?" she asked innocently, as Harm slung his arm casually around her shoulders.

"You…uhh..!" Harriet stuttered, complete shock preventing her excitement from shining through.

"It's about damn time!" Sturgis broke in, leaning over to offer Harm a hand of congratulations, which the latter took gratefully.

"Thanks, Sturgis." Mac smiled at him, before turning her attention back to Bud and Harriet, who were still looking shocked.

"Well?" she asked them, amusement dancing in her dark eyes. Suddenly Harriet let out a squeal. Her excitement finally making its way through.

"Oh my God! How long has this been going on? When did it happen? How did it happen? Is this why you broke up with Mr Webb?"

Harm and Mac exchanged amused glances at her exuberance.

"No Harriet, I didn't break up with Clay for Harm. Well, not exactly anyway." Mac replied, to which Harm quirked an eyebrow at her. "Anyway, it only happened over the weekend" she added hurriedly.

"Oh, my gosh, this is just so exciting! We've been waiting for this moment for so long!" Harriet exclaimed, glancing at her husband for support. The tips of Bud's ears turned pink, but he nodded his agreement.

"So how did this all happen?" she pressed.

They both laughed. Harm leaned over and pressed a quick kiss on Mac's cheek, much to Harriet's excitement, and then, flashing his Flyboy grin, replied

"Lets just say we had a run in with a match making teen…."

* * *

There we go! its all over now! it started as a bit of a drabble, i had no idea where i was going with it! but here we go! i hope you have enjoyed the ride!!

All feedback is appreciated!


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